It's going to be John Pelphrey taking over a semi-troubled Arkansas basketball program, although I'm not so sure it isn't the athletic department itself that isn't borked more than the average bear. Er, hog.
The story is that South Alabama coach John Pelphrey will be introduced as Arkansas' newest head coach at 3:00 PM ET on Monday.
This certainly makes for some tangled and interesting SEC storylines. Pelphrey, one of Kentucky's senior "Unforgettables" from the 1992 squad (yes, he played in that infernal Duke game with Christian Laettner), is also a Billy Donovan disciple. Pelphrey was an assistant to Donovan at Marshall and Florida prior to taking over the South Alabama program in 2002 -- and is also Donovan's best friend. Pelphrey was Donovan's best man when he married Christine Donovan, and also named his daughter in honor of Donovan (using Donovan as one of her middle names.)
So in the SEC, you now have a former Wildcat who will attempt to beat his alma mater and best friend/former employer at least once per year each. It's nice to see a Florida assistant do well, and I wish Pelphrey all the best.
I can't help but wonder, between Frank Broyles, Houston Nutt, and that whole Malzahn/Mustain controversy what in the heck they're putting in the water out there in Fayetteville.
South Alabama coach John Pelphrey, who played in the SEC at Kentucky and has led the Jaguars to consecutive 20-win seasons, will be introduced as the Razorbacks head coach at a news conference at 3 p.m. ET on Monday, according to sources close to the situation.
Pelphrey, 38, was an assistant at Florida and helped his best friend, Gators coach Bill Donovan, build the program in Gainesville. Pelphrey took over the job at South Alabama in 2002 and is 80-67 in his five years at the helm.
Pelphrey had turned down the University of South Florida a couple weeks ago. Pelphrey may not be the big name hire that Arkansas was shooting for. He may not be the biggest name in the mid-major rankings as Dana Altman was.
Pelphrey, though is an up-and-comer in the coaching ranks. Plus his style of play is what the Razorback faithful may find comfortingly familiar.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino offered a simple solution.
"If they want that style of play, they should go after John Pelphrey of South Alabama," Pitino said. "He presses and runs the whole game and does a great job with it."
"That style of play," is the Nolan Richardson "40 minutes of hell." So, at least they have that going for them.
Well, the wild end to a week in coaching changes before Easter Weekend gave way to a very quiet weekend. Nothing happened. Nothing. No solid rumors or reported meetings.
The quiet from Arkansas and Texas A&M was almost disquieting. Still, there is some nervousness in Nebraska where Doc Sadler's name is now the popular rumor to fill either job.
Sadler, though, has denied any interest in jobs and the Nebraska Athletic Department has maintained that they have not been contacted by either school about interviewing him. Of course, Arkansas, has hired a search firm to help. That means the search firm can go back channels to gage interest by Sadler before Arkansas actually contacts Nebraska.
Don't worry, come Monday there should be plenty of new intrigue and rumors.
The school said in the release that two basketball players tested positive for marijuana. Random drug testing, a normal athletic department practice, took place March 27, and although results were received March 29, the school said "appropriate personnel did not receive notification until Tuesday."
The school did not release the names of those who tested positive, citing federal privacy laws.
The school also said one basketball player was suspended for academic reasons.
While these aren't the sort of institutional problems that should make a coach retreat from a school, they only lend credence to the idea that there's a lot going wrong in the Arkansas Athletic Department.
If Dana Altman is to be taken at his word (and I'd understand if Arkansas fans don't want to), then the former Creighton, then Arkansas, then Creighton again head coach is a pretty self-aware and stand-up kind of guy.
He took the job at Arkansas, then backed away from it, and went back to Creighton, where they were more than happy to have him back. There are two ways to look at Altman's actions here:
1) He jumped at the money and the higher-profile job, then went back on his word, lying to the Arkansas people, damaging their program (though Arkansas' original decision to fire Stan Heath without a realistic replacement in mind, you could argue, did way more damage) and dragging his own name through the mud.
Or, 2) Dana Altman realized that he made a mistake by valuing money and a higher-profile job over feeling appreciated and loved at Creighton. He reconsidered uprooting his family and then was willing to risk his own reputation and take the inevitable media abuse by admitting his mistake and attempting to fix it.
If you believe Altman (and I see no reason not to, but that's just a general "benefit of the doubt" type of thing, not any concrete evidence I have that Dana Altman is truly a stand-up guy), then it's #2 that's true. I think that's something to be commended, not scorned.
In a moment of weakness, in a desire to sate his own ego, he jumped at a "better" job. But he looked back to Creighton, where he spent 13 years building a more-than-respectable program, he looked at moving his family, he looked at what his heart and his sense of loyalty told him. And with all of that, he decided to own up to a mistake and go back to Creighton, where he knows he has to rebuild some relationships.
That's commendable. Every program should be as lucky as Creighton, to have a coach with that kind of loyalty and commitment.
This is a stunner. Dana Altman, the long time Creighton Blue Jays head coach, is taking the Arkansas job.
Creighton's Dana Altman has accepted the Arkansas job and will be introduced at a 5 p.m. ET news conference this afternoon, according to multiple sources close to the situation.
Altman, 48, has built a power at Creighton for the past 13 seasons. He led the Bluejays to a 260-141 mark in his tenure. Creighton lost to Nevada in the first round of the NCAA tournament this past season.
This is a surprise, in part because Altman has resisted plenty of offers before this. It was also believed that he was very comfortable in Omaha. Most thought he might consider the Iowa job, but this is a late development.
Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles had been reportedly talking to Altman. Of course, he had also talked to John Calipari and apparently Bruce Weber of Illinois this weekend.
Landing Altman may not be the homerun Arkansas was looking for, but Altman is at least a solid double. One of the top mid-major coaches for years who has shown continued success and built Creighton into the top team in the Missouri Valley Conference.
A remarkably short shelf-life for a John Calipari coaching rumor. Usually Coach Calipari likes to let the story linger a day or two to "enjoy the drama." This time, Calipari let the national writers at ESPN.com and CBS Sportsline.com know that he wasn't heading to Arkansas.
Despite reports to the contrary, Calipari said he was never formally offered the Arkansas job, though he did admit meeting with athletic director Frank Broyles. Calipari said he and Broyles have known each other for many years and the conversation was informative. And while he acknowledged the opportunity to be the next coach at Arkansas will be great for somebody he added that somebody will not be him.
"Whoever is offered that job would have to be out of their mind to not take it," Calipari said. "But it's just not the right time for me."
That's solid plausible deniability for both Calipari and Arkansas. Calipari doesn't further aggravate the Memphis faithful with his wandering eye for other coaching jobs and Arkansas can claim not to have been rejected by Calipari.
Calipari is in a good situation at Memphis. Not just because his team absolutely dominates the weak Conference USA. He has almost his entire group of kids (sans Senior Jeremy Hunt) and should see the Tigers come into the 2007 season ranked in the top-10.
How about that for a coaching rumor? John Calipari had his latest contract extension/raise from Memphis, but like Billy Gillispie he left it unsigned at his office while heading down to Atlanta for the Final Four. According to Andy Katz at ESPN.com, this was just simply because, "Cal enjoys the drama."
Memphis spokesman Lamar Chance said on Saturday he didn't know whether Arkansas had contacted Calipari yet, but that permission had been granted.
Calipari would fit what Arkansas wants. They want a coach that is a proven commodity with NCAA Tournament success. They want someone who can recruit and win right away.
A lot of people have suspicions about Calipari. He comes off at times as pure snake-oil. There is, however, no disputing how good he has been at recruiting and winning.
The clown of infinite sadness plays a sad, soulful tune for ligaments past.
Not a good day for ACLs at schools with four-letter H nicknames. First, Arkansas DT Marcus Harrison, a senior-to-be and projected starter, is out 5-6 months. Houston Nutt wretches in reaction:
" Not good news, " Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said of Harrison, now lost to a defensive line that graduated tackle Keith Jackson Jr. from last year's SEC West championship team and loses All-SEC defensive end Jamaal Anderson a season early to next month's NFL draft. " It makes me sick. I just hope he can come back and play next year, if not at the start, at some point. "
At least Harrison has a shot at returning to the field this year. As noted by Ian Cohen earlier, star UVA wide receiver -- or at least as "star" as wide receivers playing for the country's 102nd-best passing offense get -- Kevin Ogletree . He's expected to miss the entire 2007 season. As a true sophomore last year, Ogletree can redshirt and come back in '08 with two more years to play (and hopefully a more competent quarterback).
Offensive gurus don't take kindly to head coaches out-and-out shelving of their precious schemes. So it comes as no surprise that when queried about the difference from last year at Arkansas to this one, new Tulsa offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn snippily states the obvious:
I think the biggest difference is that we're going to run the spread, no-huddle offense. Coach [Todd] Graham is 100 percent behind that philosophy and I am too," Malzahn said. "I think that's the biggest difference.
Here's looking at you, Houston Nutt.
Malzahn - at least publicly - has been classy about his tenure at and departure from Arkansas, but the fangs came out a little this week. Until now he's been deferential about Arkansas' reversion from his offense to a heavy ground attack, but safely ensconced in Tulsa with a friend as his boss, Malzahn has finally given some light to the philosophical disagreement between himself and coach Nutt. He later added "this is who I am as a coach."
Oddly, new Tulsa coach Todd Graham also subtly snipes at Major Applewhite, his offensive coordinator last year at Rice.
"I like going into meetings and there's no arguments over philosophy," Graham said. "We philosophically believe the same thing."
It's going to be John Pelphrey taking over a semi-troubled Arkansas basketball program, although I'm not so sure it isn't the athletic department itself that isn't borked more than the average bear. Er, hog.
Not even Monday yet, so much for taking the full weekend off. It would appear 
Well, the wild end to a week in coaching changes before Easter Weekend gave way to a very quiet weekend. Nothing happened. Nothing. No solid rumors or reported meetings. 
If Dana Altman is to be taken at his word (and I'd understand if Arkansas fans don't want to), then the former Creighton, then Arkansas, then Creighton again head coach is a pretty self-aware and stand-up kind of guy. 
This is a stunner. Dana Altman, the long time Creighton Blue Jays head coach, is 
A remarkably short shelf-life for a 
How about that for a coaching rumor? John Calipari had his latest contract extension/raise from Memphis, but 
The clown of infinite sadness plays a sad, soulful tune for ligaments past.
Offensive gurus don't take kindly to head coaches out-and-out shelving of their precious schemes. So it comes as no surprise that when queried about the difference from last year at Arkansas to this one, new Tulsa offensive Coordinator 
